The A-to-Z of Yeovil's History

by Bob Osborn

yeovil
at War

Reginald William
Symes

Killed in action
during the
Battle of
Broodseinde

Reginald
William Symes
was born in
Yeovil during
the autumn of
1886. He was the
son of market
gardener Herbert
William Symes
(1865-1941) and
Dorcas née Pike
(1861-1938),
originally from
Starcross,
Devon. Herbert
and Dorcas had
two sons, both
born in Yeovil;
Reginald and
Lionel Albert
(1889-1964). By
1891 the family
had moved to
Station Road,
Woodbury, Devon
and were still
living there in
1901. I couldn't
find Reginald in
the 1911 census.

In the winter
of 1916 Reginald
married Lily
Edith Dyer at St
Thomas (Exeter).
They set up home
in Exeter just
before Reginald
enlisted.

Although
it is not known
exactly when
Reginald
enlisted, he
enlisted at
Exeter joining
8th (Service)
Battalion,
Somerset Light
Infantry. His
Service Number,
27788,
suggesting he
enlisted during
late
1916, probably
immediately
after his
marriage to Lily. He was
almost certainly sent to France
on 5 April 1917.

During 1917 the
8th (Service)
Battalion,
Somerset Light
Infantry were
involved in an
inordinate
amount of
fighting
including the
First Battle of
the Scarpe, the
capture of Monchy-le-Preux,
the Second
Battle of the
Scarpe, the
Battle of Arleux,
the Battle of
Pilkem Ridge,
the Battle of
the Menin Road
Ridge, the
Battle of
Polygon Wood and
the Battle of
Broodseinde.

As part of the
Arras Offensive
the 8th
Battalion took
an active part
in the First
Battle of the
Scarpe (9 to 14
April 1917),
including the
capture of
Monchy-le-Preux,
the Second
Battle of the
Scarpe (23 to 24
April 1917) and
the Battle of
Arleux (28 to 29
April 1917).
The Arras
Offensive was a
major British
offensive from 9
April to 16 May
1917, troops
from the four
corners of the
British Empire
attacked
trenches held by
the army of
Imperial Germany
to the east of
the French city
of Arras.

Zero-Hour for
the First Battle
of the Scarpe
had originally
been planned for
the morning of 8
April (Easter
Sunday) but it
was postponed 24
hours at the
request of the
French, despite
reasonably good
weather in the
assault sector.
Zero-Day was
rescheduled for
9 April with
Zero-Hour at
05:30. The
assault was
preceded by a
hurricane
bombardment
lasting five
minutes,
following a
relatively quiet
night. When the
time came, it
was snowing
heavily; Allied
troops advancing
across no man's
land were
hindered by
large drifts. It
was still dark
and visibility
on the
battlefield was
very poor. A
westerly wind
was at the
Allied soldiers'
backs blowing "a
squall of sleet
and snow into
the faces of the
Germans". The
combination of
the unusual
bombardment and
poor visibility
meant many
German troops
were caught
unawares and
taken prisoner,
still
half-dressed,
clambering out
of the deep
dug-outs of the
first two lines
of trenches.
Others were
captured without
their boots,
trying to escape
but stuck in the
knée-deep mud of
the
communication
trenches. Most
of the British
objectives had
been achieved by
the evening of
10 April though
the Germans were
still in control
of large
sections of the
trenches between
Wancourt and
Feuchy.

On 23 April, the
British launched
an assault east
from Wancourt
towards
Vis-en-Artois.
The British made
initial gains
but could
advance no
further east and
suffered heavy
losses. Farther
north, German
forces
counter-attacked
in an attempt to
recapture Monchy-le-Preux,
but British
commanders
determined not
to push forward
in the face of
stiff German
resistance, and
the attack was
called off the
following day on
24 April.

In the Battle of
Arleux (28 to 29
April 1917),
although the
Canadian Corps
had taken Vimy
Ridge,
difficulties in
securing the
south-eastern
flank had left
the position
vulnerable. To
rectify this,
British and
Canadian troops
launched an
attack towards
Arleux-en-Gohelle
on 28 April.
Arleux was
captured by
Canadian troops
with relative
ease, but the
British troops
advancing on
Gavrelle met
stiffer
resistance from
the Germans. The
village was
secured by early
evening but,
despite
achieving the
limited
objective of
securing the
Canadian
position on Vimy
Ridge,
casualties were
high, and the
ultimate result
was
disappointing.
According to the
Regimental
History of the
Somerset Light
Infantry "The
Battle of Arleux,
fought on 28th
and 29th of
April, the 8th
Somersets of the
37th Division
again taking
part in the
operations,
though the only
Battalion of the
regiment to do
so. The front of
attack was about
8 miles.... The
attack of the
XVII Corps was
to be carried
out by the 34th
Division on the
right and the
37th Division on
the left....
Zero hour was
4:25am on 28
April. During
the night of
27th/28th the
eighth
Battalion....
Moved forward
from Heron
Trench and
assembled in
Cuba Trench; the
Battalion was in
position by 3am
on 28th, two
platoons in
front and two in
rear, as each
attacking
battalion had
been ordered to
advance on a
two-platoon
frontage. It was
so dark when
Zero hour
arrived that it
was impossible
to see more than
20 yards ahead,
British and
Germans being
indistinguishable.
Compass bearings
had been taken
and given to
officers and
NCOs, but even
so, when the
attack went
forward, there
was loss of
direction. A few
minutes after
Zero a very
heavy hostile
barrage fell on
the line of the
road and the
smoke, combined
with the
darkness, caused
considerable
confusion, with
the result that
the Somersets
swung off to the
left and
Cuthbert Trench
(directly east
of Cuba Trench)
was only
partially
attacked, the
full weight of
the attack
passing on to
Whip Trench,
which lay some
500 yards east
of Cuthbert."

The Battle of
Polygon Wood,
25-27 September
1917, was part
of the wider
Third Battle of
Ypres. It came
during the
second phase of
the battle, in
which General
Herbert Plumer’s
Second Army was
given the lead.
Plumer replaced
the ambitious
general assaults
that had begun
the battle with
a series of
small attacks
with limited
objectives – his
“bite and hold”
plan. These
attacks involved
a long artillery
bombardment
followed by an
attack on a
narrow front
(2,000 yards
wide at Polygon
Wood). The
attacks were led
by lines of
skirmishers,
followed by
small infantry
groups. German
strong points
were to be
outflanked
rather than
assaulted. Each
advance would
stop after it
had moved
forward
1,000-1,500
yards.
Preparations
were then made
to fight off any
German
counterattack.
The attack on
Polygon Wood was
the second of
Plumer’s “bite
and hold”
attacks, after
Menin Road. The
site of Polygon
Wood was
captured on 26
September, the
target line on
27 September.
The attack then
stopped, and Plumer prepared
for the next
attack. The two
Australian
divisions lost
5,471 men during
the Battle of
Polygon Wood.
The three “bite
and hold”
attacks brought
the front line
to the foot of
the
Passchendaele
Ridge, which
would be come
the target of
the First and
Second Battles
of
Passchendaele,
and give its
name to the
entire battle.

The Battle of
Broodseinde, 4
October 1917,
was the last of
three successful
“bite and hold”
battles launched
by General
Herbert Plumer
during the
middle phase of
the Third Battle
of Ypres. Both
sides were
planning an
attack on 4
October. When
the British
bombardment
began, it caught
a number of
German units out
in the open
preparing for
their own
attack. The
British attack
contained
divisions from
Britain, New
Zealand and
Australia. As at
Menin Road Ridge
and Polygon
Wood, the
British attack
achieved its
main objectives
and then halted
to dig in.
Although these
attacks are
normally
described as
small scale
battles, the
casualty figures
demonstrate the
real scale of
the fighting.
The Germans
suffered 10,000
casualties and
lost 5,000
prisoners. On
the Allied side
the Australians
suffered 6,432
casualties, the
New Zealanders
892 and the
British
300. Reginald
was killed in
action on 4
October 1917
during the
Battle of
Broodseinde. He
was 30 years
old.

Reginald is
commemorated on
the Tyne Cot
memorial, Panels
41 to 42 and
163A. His name
was added to the
War Memorial
in the
Borough in
2018.

gallery

A British
18-pounder gun
battery under
German fire
close to Monchy-le-Preux,
24 April. In the
foreground is an
advanced
dressing
station.

The battlefield
of Polygon Wood,
25-27 September
1917.

The battlefield
of Broodseinde,
4 October 1917,
where Reginald
was killed in
action.

The
Commonwealth
War Graves
Commission
certificate
in memory of
Reginald
Symes.

The Tyne Cot
Memorial is
one of four
memorials to
the missing
in Belgian
Flanders
which cover
the area
known as the
Ypres
Salient. The
memorial now
bears the
names of
almost
35,000
officers and
men whose
graves are
not known.
The
memorial,
designed by
Sir Herbert
Baker with
sculpture by
Joseph
Armitage and
F.V.
Blundstone,
was unveiled
by Sir
Gilbert
Dyett on 20
June 1927.

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